


You sent me ahead

by RedEris



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Canonical Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 11:29:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3648684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedEris/pseuds/RedEris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dorian emerges from the Fade before his amatus--a snapshot of a dark moment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You sent me ahead

He sprinted for the rift, Mahanon just a pace behind him. And then he wasn’t just behind him, his voice was receding rapidly, and Dorian twisted, began to turn—too slow, too late—and the shifting green light was all around him. He was through, falling, the stones of Adamant’s parapet under his hands.

Dorian pushed himself up, turned. Around him, demons still roared, soldiers shouted and screamed, but none of it touched him. He stared at the rift, waiting.

Too long. Panic gripped him. He threw himself toward the rift. Maybe… A hand snatched at his arm but he slipped it. The green light was around him again; the tingling, tearing feeling, and then…the other side, still cut stone and struggling soldiers. Still no Mahanon. He turned. Not here. Not here. 

He fell to his knees, hands hanging limply against the stone. Slender arms went around his shoulders, holding him back—holding him together. Solas’s voice spoke in his ear. “Strength. He will return to us. He must.”

Another infinity passed, measured in heartbeats, empty of thought. And then a thought at last, crystal clear in the emptiness: “This is it. This is where I finally lose him forever.”

And then, a slender foot. A brown hand. Mahanon—whole, alive, and radiating fury. His hand flared and the remaining demons shriveled and vanished. The rift twisted and then slammed shut. Dorian barely heard the cheering over the thundering of his heart in his ears.

The first words that penetrated were Mahanon’s. “Alistair? Where is Alistair? He’s not coming back. You killed him, Wardens. He stood so that we could run, and none of this would have happened if you hadn’t…aagh. A man who fought an archdemon. The only one of you with the sense…I would trade a hundred of you”— He broke off, jerking his chin violently. The tendons stood out in stark relief on his neck. “No. I chose. I traded his life for mine. I chose. On my shoulders be it.” He turned and walked away.

Solas grunted as if struck, his arms tightening convulsively around Dorian. “No, Lethallan. I am so sorry.” But only Dorian heard. And then Solas stood up and moved away, everyone was moving, but Dorian could not stop shaking for a long, long time.

**Author's Note:**

> I never actually left Alistair in the Fade. Holy beans. The only reason he showed up as the Warden at all is because I designed my entire friggin' world state to make Alistair happy. *Pets Alistair to reassure self*


End file.
